Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Cilantro Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

"I loved a local chain restaurant's fish tacos so much, that I had to try to duplicate them. They combine flour tortillas filled with breaded, fried tilapia, layered with chipotle mayo, topped with napa cabbage, dressed with honey-cumin sauce, and served with pico de gallo, sour cream, chips and salsa. You'll find them very refreshing and packed full of flavor!"

Directions

Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.

To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.

Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.

Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.

Footnotes

The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the breading ingredients. The actual amount of the breading consumed will vary. We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Feb 18, 2008

This recipe is absolutely delicious. The BEST fish tacos my husband and I have ever had, hands down...and we made them ourselves!! Do yourself a favor and give this one a try. And do follow the recipe to a "T"...use the Panko bread crumbs as they fry up so much nicer than regular bread crumbs. Also, some reviewers admitted to omitting the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but this ingredient is what makes chipotle mayo just that, so you musn't dismiss it! You can find small cans of these in the Latino food section of any major grocery store. The Panko crumbs can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. The coleslaw that goes with the tacos is worthy enough to stand alone. I can't say enough about these tacos...just try them! You'll be shocked you could make something so different and delicious in your own kitchen.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 05, 2009

I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of fish cooking method (I grilled on the stovetop) and only marinated the fish for 15-minutes. I wasn't impressed with the final product. The recipe name is also misleading as the "slaw" does not include honey or cumin. I don't think I'll make this recipe again.

These fish tacos are excellent. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT skip the chipotle mayo... that is what makes this recipe so great. I am not a huge spicy food fan, I can usually handle a medium spiciness in foods, so I halved the cayenne pepper and the mayo was perfect, I could have licked it out of the bowl!! I have made this twice, once with the fried tilapia, and once with grilled tilapia that was marinated the same way but not breaded (to try and make it a little healthier), and both ways were absolutely delish. This recipe seems like a lot of ingredients and steps, but it is really quite easy. Definitely give it a try!!

Just finished eating 2 of these, very good. I used wheat Ritz crackers instead of the panko crumbs just cause I had them. I also baked the fish in the oven on a pan coated with olive oil. Still crisped up very nice. I will make these again, thanks for the great recipe!

WOW - seriously the single best recipe I've tried to date, and I use this site for all of my recipes. I don't love spicy (and neither does hubby) so for the mayo we used one pepper with a little of the adobo and left out the cayene and it was perfect. My husband said best meal of the year! I'm still drooling over them! I added chopped tomatoes instead of a salsa and it was super.

We really liked this. Great flavor and texture. The panko was a perfect coating for the fish. I did make some changes because this was a last minute thing and I didnt want to run to the store to get the extra ingredients. I used lemon juice in place of lime, subbed romaine lettuce for cabbage, and omitted the chilis because I didnt have any on hand. It was still great and we will be making this again. The recipe looks complicated, but its actually really easy and only took 20 minutes to throw together from start to finish. Thanks for the recipe!

My family loved this recipe. I never fry foods but I thought I would try it out! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! My husband really loved the slaw, it has a really heavy cilantro taste, which he loves, so if you don't love cilantro you might wanna cut back. Since other reviewers said that it was spicy, I cut open the chipotles and deseeded them. I also halfed the cumin and just added a couple of dashes of cayenne. I will be making this again! They all loved it! Thanks again!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.